Running... am I doing this right?

endlessfall16 wrote: »

christopmoore wrote: »

Another pointer is to not run too fast. There are two areas that running conditions: your legs and your lungs. Those areas of your body might not progress at the same pace. Meaning, your lungs might tell you to run faster, but your legs might be your limiting factor, or vice-versa. Again, your goals will dictate your workouts, but in general, if you're trying to run long distances (and long is a relative term--you know what is long for you), start out slower than you think you should. Once you've reached the distance you want to be at, then you can work on running it faster.

@christopmoore or whoever runs...

Do you take into consideration the heart rate?

That is like the first thing I pay attention to. I have a HR monitor that straps around the chest and my own chart to follow.

I'm only worried about the heart, not the leg muscles.

No, I don't, and I don't recommend it - unless you're operating off of tested max and resting heart rates and not a calculated estimate.

Appropriate heart rate zones are highly variable among individuals. If you assume your max heart rate is close to the common estimations you could be very far off. I would be - my max is much, much higher than estimated, so I'd be working much, much less than I should be. In other words, I'd have to be walking to get mine low enough. Other people would go the other way and would be half-killing themselves to raise their heart rate to the estimated appropriate level.

Better to work with 'perceived exertion' which automatically adjusts to you and your current fitness level. For this kind of running - looking to improve distance and time on your feet - you should be able to comfortably talk. If you're huffing and puffing, you're going too hard.

Also, you should be primarily concerned with your legs. Not just the muscles - those adapt quickly just like your heart and lungs (days-weeks) - but the bones, tendons and ligaments (months). Those adapt much more slowly. That's why good beginner programs ramp up slowly.

Are you warming up? I notice when I jump into running/jogging, i can't go as long as i can after ive warmed up some. And you gotta pace yourself, take it slow. You'll notice improvement after while of doing it. Set small goals to accomplish. Keeping up on it helps too. Cause once you stop long enough, its like starting all over again.